My gym (yes, MY GYM... I have decided that I am a gym person, vs just a person going to the gym...) seems to have 4 types of ladies;

a) Super duper fit. like, crazy fit. like, hard not to stare....

b) People not as fit, who are staring at type "a"

c) People who aren't fit at all, but are trying!

d) type A, but add these injection looking duck-lips, and a lot of make-up

I say this because there are actually ALOT of type D. And I just don't get it. I started as Type c, am now type b. And maybe someday, will be a type a. :) But I really hope that type D is not some inevitability of extreme gym-ness.....

Went for a spa day with my bestie yesterday. Massage dude (who had a thing for feet, but... more on that later), said my muscles seemed "dense, tight". I said I worked out a lot. To which he replied..."Oh yeah, you don't look buff".

A*#hole.

To which I replied "under this layer of fat, I am way buff".

And then the foot thing . Which on second thought, I care not to relive. But it was a little creepy. He is going to be a chiropodist. Which I guess is like a guy who has a thing for asses becoming a proctologist.

What else should I call it? OK, maybe it will be a 'lifestyle change', but really, .... it's the Rider vs the Elephant. Read this summary from Quora (about the book Switch): (CLICK ME!) or I pasted it below. Anyway, I need to eat more protein without increasing calories. I am way under whats considered healthy on the protein front. So.... for now, it's the Rider."Perched atop the Elephant, the Rider holds the reins and seems to be the leader. But the Rider’s control is precarious because the Rider is so small relative to the Elephant. Anytime the six-ton Elephant and the Rider disagree about which direction to go, the Rider is going to lose. He’s completely overmatched."You need to create a path that makes it easier to be successful....“Most of us are all too familiar with situations in which our Elephant overpowers our Rider. You’ve experienced this if you’ve ever slept in, overeaten, dialed up your ex at midnight, procrastinated, tried to quit smoking and failed, skipped the gym, gotten angry and said something you regretted, abandoned your Spanish or piano lessons, refused to speak up in a meeting because you were scared, and so on.”The key to effective change is getting the Elephant and the Rider moving together. Dan and Chip write:“Changes often fail because the Rider simply can’t keep the Elephant on the road long enough to reach the destination. The Elephant’s hunger for instant gratification is the opposite of the Rider’s strength, which is the ability to think long-term, to plan, to think beyond the moment (all those things that your pet can’t do.) … To make progress toward a goal, whether it’s noble or crass, requires the energy and drive of the Elephant. And this strength is the mirror image of the Rider’s great weakness: spinning his wheels. The Rider tends to overanalyze and over think things. … A reluctant Elephant and a wheel-spinning Rider can both ensure nothing changes. But when Elephants and Riders move together, change can come easily.”They then introduce 3 surprises which can be helpful in framing messages:

What looks like resistance is often lack of clarity. Don’t say eat healthier. Say eat more dark leafy greens.

What looks like laziness is often exhaustion. Change is hard…acknowledge it.

What looks like a people problem is often a situational problem. Make sure to think about their environment and support system.

Both books make for insightful reading and Switch also adds the element of being a "how to" book for change.

Kim could have gone faster without me, no doubt. But I made it up the stairs!!

144 flights

1776 stairs

My time does not put me early on the bell-curve.... but I feel amazing! 14 months ago I joined the gym because I was winded after 2 flights of stairs. I was winded on the CN Tower climb too. :) But so was everyone else!

I did this drawing on the white board @ my desk, so that I could tell everyone my story.

Usually that would preface something comic. Like this.Let's hope that's not the case this time. tomorrow I attempt to climb all of the stairs to the top of the CN Tower. CN Tower climb info hereI'll let you know how it goes either way.

It's Movember. I can't grow a mustache. But I can MOVE with MOVEMBER, so I challenged colleague to a battle of steps. It's still aligned with the heart of this blog (really, more of a journal for me... my fitness journey).... since if he leads me in steps, it'll mean I have to push harder, 'cause I hate to lose.

A guy had what appeared to be a heart attack at the gym today. It was a crazy scene; CPR, defibrillator and the whole 9 yards. I don't know what to say,.... this blog has been a diary to log my progress and cheer myself on. I don't feel cheery. Life is so short, and I am (arguably) more than 1/2 way through it. Suddenly, I feel fragile.